The Accusation

"You're just too insecure!" he yells, storming off into the bathroom.

What's wrong with me? Why am I questioning him? He wouldn’t cheat on me... I just need to work on my insecurities, I told myself, biting my lip slowly.

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I jolted awake as icy water splashed across my face, soaking my thin silk nightgown until it clung to my skin like a second, freezing layer. Disoriented, I wiped my eyes, blinking rapidly to focus on the blurry image before me.

Ma Hilda.

She stood there smirking, lips curled like she was savoring the moment.

“Get up, you lazy thing!” she barked.

I reached to the other side of the bed…it was cold and empty. Xavier had left for work. No note. No kiss goodbye. I had cried myself to sleep after our argument, and now I felt hollow.

“Are you deaf?!” Ma Hilda snapped again.

Before I could react, she yanked a fistful of my tangled hair and dragged me out of the king-sized bed. Pain seared through my scalp, my eyes watering as I struggled to keep up with her grip. She pulled me across the floor roughly toward the poolside, not caring that my body was still weak from the night before.

She shoved me to the edge of the pool.

I trembled as the icy chill radiated from the water, wrapping around my skin like a ghost. My brows furrowed, still adjusting to the morning light and her madness. I spotted Macy, trailing behind her mother with a smug look on her face.

What now?

“My jewelry fell into the pool,” Ma Hilda said, her voice laced with glee. “It’s in a tiny box. Find it.”

Panic surged inside me. My stomach twisted. I could barely see without my glasses, and cold always made me ill. My body couldn’t handle it.

“Ma, please,” I whispered, shivering. “You know I’m prone to cold. I’ll fall sick…”

“If you don’t get in that pool and find my jewelry,” she hissed, her eyes glinting with threat, “I’ll design your face with acid.”

My knees buckled slightly. She wasn’t bluffing, I knew she was capable of cruelty like that.

“Can I at least get my glasses?” I pleaded.

Before she could answer, Macy stepped forward. Her blurry form loomed over me….

..and then shoved me into the pool.

I gasped as the cold swallowed me. My breath hitched, my limbs locking up as I tried to stay afloat. With trembling hands, I bent low, sweeping my arms back and forth along the pool’s bottom, desperately trying to feel for a box…any box.

They left me there. Hours passed.

No one came back.

My stomach churned from hunger, and a feverish heat rose inside me even as my body continued to tremble. My eyes burned. I sneezed, violently, my body wracked with shivers.

Then..finally…my hand brushed against something. A box. My heart leapt. I grabbed it and opened it quickly.

Empty.

The realization hit harder than the cold. My chest tightened. My head spun. My legs gave out as I tried to hoist myself out of the water, but I was too weak. My body tilted, falling back..about to hit the concrete…

…but a hand caught me.

Ethan.

The pool boy.

He looked at me with mild concern, lifting me gently from the water. We’d barely spoken before. I wasn’t even sure he knew my name.

“You’ve caught the fluid, ma. You should go inside and warm up,” he said, steadying me before turning and walking away.

I stood there for a moment, teeth chattering, limbs barely functioning, then limped inside.

Ma Hilda was in the living room with a newspaper in hand. Macy was gone.

I dragged myself toward her.

“Ma, here’s the box… it’s empty,” I said quietly, handing it over with shaking fingers.

“Oh yes,” she said, flipping a page. “I found the jewelry already. Forgot to tell you. You can throw the box away.”

My eyes burned. Why is she like this? Why is she so cruel?

I didn’t say a word. I just turned and climbed the stairs slowly, each step an effort. My eyes were tearing up…not just from stress or cold, but from emotional exhaustion.

I ran a warm bath and sank into it. I cried silently, my sobs muffled by the steam. Hours passed.

When I finally emerged, I wrapped myself in a towel and reached for my phone.

I dialed my mother.

“Hi, Mum,” I whispered weakly.

“Aren’t you a darling!” she said cheerfully. “Xavier sent me some money…I went shopping!” Her heels clicked loudly through the phone. I could hear her giggling.

“Mum… I’m…”

“Get me that bag!” she shouted away from the phone, ignoring me.

She wasn’t listening. She never listened. All she cared about was money.

“I’ll call you later, Isa,” she said dismissively. “I’m busy. Be a good girl and tell Xavier to send me more, okay?”

The call ended.

I sat there, pressing the phone to my chest. Why is my life like this? Why does no one care?

Maybe I should call Camille. She’s the only one who brings me light. The only person who sees me.

Before I could dial, the door flew open.

Xavier stormed in.

His long legs marched toward me, his face like thunder. The air around him was suffocating. I shot up, panicked, adjusting my glasses.

“Are you….” I started.

A sharp, brutal slap cut me off, slamming across my cheek and knocking me back onto the bed.

I froze.

He hit me.

Xavier hit me.

I looked up at him, stunned. He’d insulted me before, dismissed me, yelled... but this? This was different.

His eyes burned with loathing. His face twisted in disgust.

And behind him….Macy.

She stood with her arms crossed and that same evil grin she always wore.

“So you’re fucking the pool boy?!” Xavier roared.

My mouth parted, too stunned to speak.

What!?